Touring Scandanavia

1.
Posted byandrwcris(Full Member 34 posts) 13y
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Hi,

My wife and I are going to spend a couple of months (from may - september) touring round Norway, Sweden and Finland in our new motorhome, any suggestions of places that we should make sure we visit?

Cheers

Andrew

2.
Posted byapplegirl(Full Member 144 posts) 13y
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Hi Andrew!Being from Scandinavia (Sweden) and knowing the vast and wide range of what there is to see and do it is a bit difficult to answer your question without knowing what you are interested in and what your expectations are. Try to be more specific and I'll be happy to tell you what I know. I'll just mention the obvious here: Stockholm is a must, apart from the city I'd suggest you get out in the archipelago and some of the beautiful islands outside Sthlm. Some beautiful places...Österlen in the south (Skåne) Kinnekulle, Västergötland Vadstena, ÖstergötlandThe coastline between Malmö - GöteborgThese are just a few places at the top of my head..I'll add to the list when I know a bit more about what you're after.

3.
Posted bylamail(First Time Poster 1 posts) 13y
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Across the Baltic Sea and just couple of hours boat ride there is also beautiful Estonia. This might be something little bite different compared with so clean and neat Finland and Sweden.

4.
Posted byandrwcris(Full Member 34 posts) 13y
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Hi,

Thanks to both 'applegirl' and 'lamail' for their suggestions, to answer both of you:

We generally like most things with the great outdoors and would like to see some of the spectacular scenery that abounds these countries but would also like to 'see the sights' and famous landmarks in the cities along with activites such as cycling, walking and hiking and maybe even a little mountaineering. We also fancy doing some more unusual activities like whale watching and would like to go to some of the traditional festivals such as the midnight sun. I am a keen photographer and would like to put my skills to the test in the various environments that we get to.

After spending a couple of months in scandanavia we aim to work our way south through Finland and cross into Estonia which is reputed to be a beautiful country so any advice we can for there would also be great.

Cheers

Andrew

5.
Posted byapplegirl(Full Member 144 posts) 13y
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You have to head up north, Sweden or Norway, doesn't matter... In Sweden you have Jukkasjärvi and the ice hotel, since it summer there won't be any ice hotel but the place is still interesting enough and beautiful.

check out http://www.inlandsbanan.se/inlandsbanan is a railway stretching from Kristinehamn - Gällivare, I know you're travelling with your motorhome but check out the site for info, since the whole railway is a tourist attraction so you're likely to find out a lot there.

Dalarna, Sweden - the ultimate place to celebrate midsummer by the end of June.

http://www.visit-sweden.com/gb/article.asp?show=a&articleID=5384site where you can read about the different regions in Sweden

When it comes to hiking, walking and cykling you'll be spoilt for choice, there are loads of national parks, one of my favourite is Tivedens Nationalpark.

You def have to travel along Vätterns (second biggest lake in Swe) east side, from Jönköping to Askersund. Very very beautiful stretch which is considered Europe's most scenic highway. Make a stop in Gränna (take the ferry out to Visingsö) and in Vadstena, as already mentioned.

The islands Öland and Gotland might both be well worth to visit. There's a bridge to Öland, you have to take a ferry to Gotland.

Another site: http://www.sweden.travelmall.com/guide.html

Hope this helps. Enjoy the trip!

6.
Posted byandrwcris(Full Member 34 posts) 13y
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Thankyou very much, we will have a good look at the sites and make some rough plans before we set off.

By the way Andrew, have you considered hurtigruten? It's the boat that goes from the south of Norway all the way up to the north. It's expensive (most things in Norway are) but SPECTACULAR! My wife and me are going in August and really looking forward to it.

Their website is www.hurtigruten.com if you want more info (one of the better commercial websites I have ever come across too by the way). You can also just do certain legs of the trip which is nice to get an idea.

You'd almost think I get a commission after reading this post

8.
Posted byandrwcris(Full Member 34 posts) 13y
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Hi Sam,

Had a look at the website and you are right it does look spectacular, unfortunately you are also right about the price! I looked at a round trip cruise with no car and it worked out at around £3500 (if only you were on commision eh?? lol) for two which is pretty pricey - but as you said it does look amazing, might look at doing a port to port trip or something like that.

We actually booked the ferry from Newcastle to Kristiansand last night, found a really good deal on DFDS leaving early May. For the motorhome (3m high and 7.25m long) the two of us with cabin, and evening meal and breakfast it was only £154 (one-way) all in which is great! The special offer runs until the 30 June and then starts up again 5th September till the end of the year, basically you get a room but it shares WC and shower - but for that price you can put up with that, the link is

Wow, that's a really good deal you got! I can imagine you are looking forward to the trip now that you have the ticket over taken care of, that's always such a 'defining moment'

Yes, the Hurtigruten is NOT cheap! They do have specials on every now and then which offer up to 75% off and most people don't end up going for the whole round trip. In fact, I don't think most people even end up doing the whole thing one way. Have a look at their specials page or their get on/get off options and you might be able to find something better.

Either way, Norway has a lot of spectacular nature to offer and if you have the time, I am sure you will be seeing just as much driving as you would on the boat (and possibly more!)!

Enjoy

Sam

10.
Posted byandrwcris(Full Member 34 posts) 13y
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Hi Sam,

Will check out the specials page and see if we can find a 'bargain' (like we got for the ferry to Norway ).

We should have plenty of time to make sure we see all the spectacular scenery, we dont really have an itinery as we are both finishing work at the end of March and using the money from selling our house to travel. We are hoping to travel all over Europe for the next couple of years so should not be in any rush!